Female Pattern Baldness
Female pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia
Female Pattern Baldness
Female pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia
What is female pattern baldness?
Female pattern baldness, also referred to as hormonal hair loss or androgenic alopecia, is a common form of hair loss in which a woman’s hair thins. Hair loss in women is perfectly normal, particularly as you get older and experience significant bodily changes like menopause, with a certain level of hair thinning to be expected at this stage when hormones are fluctuating.
Female pattern baldness causes
As with men, female pattern baldness is often hereditary, though if you begin to notice that you are losing your hair you should reach out to your doctor or hair loss consultant to help you establish whether you’re undergoing female pattern baldness or another form of hair loss.
Beyond being hereditary, hair loss can be due to factors including your diet, medical conditions and stress. Because of this range of potential causes, it is very important that an in-depth evaluation is carried out to identify any potential medical issues beforehand and ensure that treatment is tailored around these individual needs.
With female pattern baldness, the earlier you begin treatment, the better. This is because you’ll be able to prevent further loss and ideally grow new, healthy hair.
What does female pattern baldness look like?
In female pattern baldness the hair’s growing process slows and it takes much longer for new hair growth to come through. While it’s normal for women to lose up to 100 hairs a day, in female pattern baldness women tend to lose many more than this.
Unlike male hair loss which typically starts with a receding hair line, in female pattern baldness women can lose hair from anywhere on their scalp, though often this starts at their parting line or temples.
Women are more likely to have a lot of thinning hair across the scalp rather than go entirely bald, with female pattern baldness tending to fall into three categories:
- Type I: A lower level of thinning around the parting area
- Type II: Widening around the parting area, accompanied by general thinning surrounding it
- Type III: Thinning hair across the scalp, often with a balding spot at the top of the scalp
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you stop female pattern baldness?
Yes, you can. With proper treatment, you can stop further hair loss and also regrow some of your hair back. However, you should note that treatment results vary from one person to another, and there is no guarantee that what worked for someone else will work for you. The key to beating female pattern baldness is early treatment. Our qualified practitioners will help you stop hair thinning and restore some of your hair.
Does finasteride work for female baldness?
Finasteride or Propecia is mainly used to treat hair loss in men at 1mg a day. However, the same dosage is ineffective in treating female pattern hair loss; women need a higher dosage. A recent study published by PubMed.gov showed that women suffering from hair thinning showed significant improvement after using 2.5mg of finasteride for more than three months.
That being said, this treatment can cause some unwanted side effects. Finasteride works by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. DHT is associated with hair loss in both men and women. While this is a good thing, increased levels of testosterone in women can cause congenital disabilities.
What supplements help with female hair loss?
Biotin
Biotin or B-7 has been shown to halt hair loss, promote growth, and even thicken hair strands. It is commonly found in nuts, liver, and lentils, but you can use supplements if you are not getting enough of it from your diet.
Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids
While extremely vital, these fatty acids are not produced by the body. You can only get them from your diet or supplements. Omega 3 is particularly useful in preventing hair loss because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
Folic acid
Folic acid is a B vitamin required for cell generation. When it comes it thinning hair, it helps follicles generate new hair in balding areas.
Does anything really work for female hair loss?
There is a wide array of treatment options that you can use depending on the cause of your hair loss. A hair transplant such as FUE Hair Treatment is one of the best ways to tackle female hair loss. The earlier you seek help, the better it will be for you, so get in touch with us today to book a free consultation. We will examine you and recommend a suitable treatment plan.
Treatments for female pattern baldness
Although a common issue, understandably a number of women seek ways to reduce the appearance of female pattern baldness. There are a number of treatments to counteract the effects of hair loss and achieve the look of fuller hair, though the best method for you will depend on the pattern of your thinning.
For those with diffuse thinning (hair loss throughout the scalp) hair transplants will not be as effective because they can lead to ongoing thinning after the transplant and in some cases further hair loss induced by the surgery itself. However, a number of non-surgical treatments such as PRP (platelet rich plasma), medications and hair serums can help to slow hair loss and stimulate new growth.
If you’re looking to discover the best way to overcome your hair loss, get in touch with us and we can arrange your free, no obligation consultation. In this, our hair loss consultant will look over your hair history and help you find the best possible treatment.